Death of Shaggy Rogers
by Kirra kills
Summary: Shaggy remembers his life at the eve of his death, specifically his relationship with all the Robins and a few other heroes.


Shaggy wasn't brave, far from it. And yet he did the most brave acts every day out of his entire group. Which was why he was currently lying in a pool of his own blood with a broken leg and arm, probably fractured ribs, and a thirst that overcame his constant hunger. Why? Because he'd taken a hit from Hush. A hit that should have been for one newly resurrected Damian Wayne. It wasn't Shaggy's fault he loved the line of Robins. It's just the way he was, loving pretty much everyone he came into contact with.

It had started with Dick, of course. Shaggy and the gang had first met Batman and Robin during Dick's time as Robin. It had been machinations to get Shaggy off the drugs that dulled his mind (as smart as Sherlock Holmes, apparently, and it rather terrified and annoyed him, so he locked his mind up with different soft drugs so he wouldn't go crazy from his own thoughts) and through the machinations had woken up his sleeping intelligence and he figured out who Batman and Robin were in a few moments. Even sending them a letter telling them how and why, and begging them to convince Velma to give him back his only barrier from his own mind. Suffice to say, he and Scooby had been part of the Batfamily since. And since then, Shaggy had been one of the mentors of the Robins, keeping them sane, giving them some form of normalcy, showing them how to keep their morality and souls while still protecting those around them. Something Shaggy Rogers had been too late to do for Bruce Wayne, and he still agonized over not being there for the man, but what could he do?

His best (human) friend was Dick, they got each other. Shaggy had punched Joker in the face for Dick, you don't punch the Clown Prince of Crime in the face for just _anyone_, especially when the psycho decides he's going to send a couple of deranged followers after you to seduce and murder you. Shaggy will never trust blond girls who can cook, or blond girls with scary obsessions and Southern accents (Why always blond? He much preferred black hair to be honest) because if he does he might be on the wrong end of a shotgun or magic spell again. Shaggy was the shoulder to cry on when Dick ran away from being Robin, and ran away from Barbra and Bruce and a whole life. Shaggy hadn't come up with the Nightwing persona, but he'd reasoned with Dick and pointed out that he couldn't escape being a hero, just like Shaggy couldn't stop being a detective. (They both tried, both failed, and both joked about it)

The next Robin caused Shaggy the most pain. He couldn't see himself in Jason Todd, far from it, but he connected with the Robin turned Red Hood in a strange way, and was at the funeral so drugged he saw stars. But if there was any less there would be hypothesizing and crying and blowing covers by shouting "murderer!" At Bruce Wayne, and hunting Joker and-that wasn't Shaggy. Norville had to remain as the dopey persona Shaggy or everything he'd done to maintain normalcy and sanity would be undone. When Jason came back years later and faked a second death, Shaggy helped him get out of the country for a while. You didn't live as a detective of supernatural occurrences without gaining a hell of a lot of high-up people who owe you favors and Shaggy found it terribly easy to pull a few strings and get Jason away from Gotham for a bit. He came back, of course, but at least he was alive again. Though seeing Jason changed and yet the same and…well, it made Shaggy's head hurt and he was glad he didn't have to see the Red Hood that often, Jason seemed to sense Shaggy didn't want to see him and kept his distance for the most part, but the 'window's open for all Robin's' promise was taken advantage of, since Shaggy would sometimes find his couch slept on and (he kept it stocked with all Robin's favorite foods, just in case) the fridge raided from time to time. It made him smile a little, but he didn't say anything, it would get him hurt and Jason embarrassed.

Tim Drake was the fun loving one Shaggy was quite fond of. They could both share a joke, almost out-eat a Flash, had incredible stamina, and were the scape-goats of their respective groups. They bonded over that and Shaggy found he didn't really have to remind this one to be human, but Tim needed more cautionary warnings than Jason and Dick combined and Shaggy worried over him. When he was kidnapped by Joker Shaggy was there with Barbra and Bruce and Dick, searching frantically for his little buddy. When Bruce and Barbra found him, Dick and Shaggy got there too late to help, but it was Shaggy who got the boy to stop sobbing when Barbra handed the shaking body to the gaunt detective. They had to put Tim in the psychiatric ward after, and it was Shaggy who came every Friday and read the boy adventure novels, told him stories about his adventures with the supernatural, and generally made Tim feel like he wasn't alone in his recovery.

Shaggy loved Stephanie; she reminded him of his baby sister Sugie. Spunky, smart, and able to take care of herself with a calm air in the face of any danger. She'd been the one putting Bruce back together more than once and Shaggy had just been there to remind her of the daylight every now and then. And when he found out the entire Martian race was wiped out, Stephanie was the one who rocked Shaggy and bought him all the ice-cream he needed, and told him where the Martian Manhunter, sole survivor of Shaggy's ex-girlfriend's race, was. Shaggy reminded Stephanie to be a normal teenaged girl and Stephanie reminded Shaggy the world didn't revolve around Mars, and that the universe was still intact. In short, the first and only female robin reminded him to be human again and he nearly lost it when she died. At least she came back, and he helped her through her different hero guises. It wasn't the same, but she took advantage of his apartment like Jason, and at least she did. He didn't know where he'd be without her small gifts of nachos and oatmeal cookies. He had a feeling it was in gratitude for him setting her and her current boyfriend Tim on a date. The first time the two former robins had really talked and met and gotten to know each other. Their happy story made Shaggy feel better and smile.

Damien was Shaggy's breaking point. Shaggy _loved_ Damien, loved that little crazy brat like a brother, joined Dick in teaching him how to be human, showed the kid his first non-violent movie, taught him jokes, dodged bullets and knives and shards of glass as he and Dick worked together to make a safe place for the Wayne boy. And when he became more like the boy he was and less like a soldier, Shaggy breathed more easily. And then Damien died and for the first time Bruce _cared_ and Shaggy actually lost it. He ripped the billionaire a new one because how dare he care about the death of a son he barely acknowledged when it was Shaggy and Dick who'd taught him how to smile, laugh, _be a child_. Dick and Jason had to restrain Shaggy and all present were shocked that the happy detective had lost his temper. They'd never realized he'd had a temper to lose. Then Damien came back, angry as he was at the beginning and Shaggy, metaphorically speaking, grabbed that boy and held him under his wing and cared and cared and cared and cared and cared till Damien was okay again and he could let the boy go, but like his father he rushed into situations and well…

Here they were.

Shaggy couldn't move, didn't feel like moving, and just smiled on broken pavement at a bruised sky. He pushed some teeth out past cracked lips with a swollen tongue and continued smiling. He'd had a very good life for only being 27 years old. He'd gone to the underworld, fought ghosts zombies and evil sorcerers, he'd dated a Martian and fought super-villains. He'd watched his baby sister Sugie get married to her very kind husband, had met the band KISS, had helped a trio of bumbling ghosts. At one point or another most of the Justice League had passed through his apartment or talked to him on the street or helped him and the Mystery Inc. solve their mysteries. He'd helped train wonderful heroes and he wouldn't trade that for anything.

The brunette dimly felt himself being lifted up and a masked face swam into vision. Shaggy smiled more, he'd know that face anywhere. Dick. Words were cutting in and out of Shaggy's hearing but he got enough to know what was going on. He was dying, help would be there soon, hold on Shaggy. All the other Robins crowded his vision, and one old pup named Scooby Doo, and he could even see a worried Freddy Jones in there and he just grinned at them. They were all alive, he'd done his job. Maybe they were cracked and broken, but they were a hell of a lot better off than Bruce Wayne or Shaggy ever would be. His vision was turning black, Stephanie was saying he wasn't going to make it, and then the suggestion of resurrection and Shaggy frowned. No. that wasn't what he wanted. He told them so, faintly, but adamantly. Nobody was bringing him back, how the hell could he fit anything more into an already full life? The Robins were his family, Damien (who was crying and trying to hide it) was like a brother or son, and Sugie didn't need him anymore, so what else did he have to live for? _"for the love of God, like, don't you __**dare**__ bring me back, man!"_

Superman and Martian Manhunter got there a few moments after Dick closed his oldest friend's eyes. It was a silent procession of Martian, Kryptonian, Question and Creeper (Shaggy had always been willing to help them with cases and stories, though with Creeper it was an uneasy friendship at best), and all the Robins and a very old dog and blond jock as the brunette's body was carried to the Hero Memorial. Crystal's name was on it, it was all Shaggy had to pay his respects to her, and since they couldn't bury the man by the woman he loved, they did the next best thing.

Of all the hero graves, Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers was one of the most visited and decorated with flowers.

And as all the Robins agreed, this was exactly how it should be.


End file.
